Hi Everyone
Hope you are all well. As always there is lots happening in the VET Sector. Of note is the recent release by ASQA of their revised fee schedule. Whilst the fees did not increase in line with the “proposed” fee schedule, most fees have increased by roughly 100% or more. Hopefully that will assist the Commonwealth with their return to surplus! One item I would draw your attention to this month is a recent decision by the AAT in respect to an application by an RTO to review a regulatory decision taken by ASQA. This case is very telling of ASQA’s approach to regulation and the commentary of a Senior Member of the AAT included in the decision includes some fascinating conclusions about ASQA’s interpretation of the standards and ASQA’s handling of the audit and assistance to the Tribunal. For those that take an interest in contemporary compliance interpretation, I would recommend this as a must read. It particularly highlights issues relating to the interpretation of the principles of assessment and the cross dependency of one standard to another. I have included a link to the decision record within the ASQA update section.
On the Newbery Consulting front, we are pleased to welcome our newest member to the team. Bree Owens is joining the Client Support Team in Melbourne and will assist in providing technical support to our many RTO Data users. Bree commences in mid August and brings a wealth of experience in customer service and business administration. We are very please to welcome Bree to the Newbery Consulting team. We have also been progressing our implementation of the new AVETMISS 7.0 changes which support the introduction of the Unique Student Identifier and the Total VET Data reporting referred to in the recent NSSC Bulletin. We have made excellent progress on implementing these changes into RTO Data and expect to be ready for testing in Sep 2013 and introduction in Jan 2014. I would like to personally thank the team at the USI Taskforce situated within the Department (DIICCSRTE). Their availability to discuss the technical aspects of the changes and engage with us has been fantastic and will ultimately benefit users and VET providers.
Good training!
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If you have some news, send it to us at: news@newberyconsulting.com.au
Kind regards,
Joe Newbery
Compliance and Regulatory News
ASQA update
Update on fees and charges. ASQA has received approval to implement its revised fees and charges from 31 July 2013. Click the link below to read more and access the link to ASQA’s revised schedule of fees and charges.
http://asqa.gov.au/news/1741/approval-of-asqas-revised-fees-and-charges.html
Referring student complaints to ASQA. Students may lodge a complaint to ASQA only after exhausting their training provider’s internal complaints procedures. Training providers should not refer students to ASQA via the Complaints team email address. Rather, student complaints must be lodged using ASQA’s online complaint form. Any references in a training provider’s complaints policies to a specific ASQA email address should be removed. ASQA has also reminded training providers that it does not act in a mediator capacity in the complaints process. Refer to the AQSA website link below for more details on making a complaint with ASQA.
http://www.asqa.gov.au/complaints/making-a-complaint.html
ASQA Loose case in the AAT. In a decision handed down by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal on 30 July 2013, the regulatory decision by ASQA to cancel the registration of the Australian Academy of Management and Science has been set aside. This means that ASQA’s regulatory decision under the legislation has been revoked by the AAT. The full decision can be accessed at the following AUSTLII link:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/aat/2013/530.html
ASQA audit survey. ASQA’s latest survey was conducted for providers who have had a site audit finalised during the period 1 December 2012 – 28 February 2013. One hundred and twenty-five responses were received. Click on the link below for the high-level findings.
http://asqa.gov.au/news/1627/asqa-audit-survey-1.html
NSSC update
Special Bulletin 06. Following on from its November 2012 decision to mandate reporting of VET activity for all RTOs, the Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE) endorsed the standards and policy which will underpin the implementation of the new reporting requirements which will come into effect on 1 January 2014. Read the NSSC Special Bulletin at the following link.
Communiqué 12. At its meeting on 17 June 2013, the NSSC discussed a range of matters, including the review of the standards for the regulation of VET, work to implement quality measures in Training Packages to support effective VET regulation and amendments to the determination for trainer and assessor competencies. The changes to the determination for trainer and assessor competencies were minor in nature to reflect the superseded TAE10 Enterprise Trainer Skill Set and new coding of the TAE Assessor Skill Set. Read the NSSC Communiqué at the following link.
http://www.nssc.natese.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/75628/NSSC_Communique_12_-_June_2013.pdf
Training Package News
Recent Training Package endorsements/updates
ICT10 Integrated Telecommunications – Release 2.0 – 19 July 2013
FNS10 Financial Services– Release 5.0 – 18 July 2013
CHC Community Services – Release 1.1 – 11 July 2013
HLT Health – Release 1.1 – 11 July 2013
PMB07 Plastics, Rubber and Cablemaking– Release 2.0 – 6 July 2013
TAE10 Training and Education – Release 3.1 – 27 June 2013
For details of release information go to http://training.gov.au/
New look training packages for CHC & HLT qualifications
CS&HISC released its updated suite of Children & Youth Services, and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Health Worker qualifications. The qualifications mark the first release of the newly endorsed CHC (community services) and HLT (health) Training Packages, incorporating the new NSSC standards. The updated qualifications supersede the Children’s Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker qualifications in the CHC08 and HLT07 Training Packages respectively, but do not impact on the other qualifications within those Training Packages. Read more at the following link.
http://www.cshisc.com.au/develop/training-packages/
Events, Resources & Funding News
School-based Traineeship/Apprenticeship Guide – Tasmania
The School-based Traineeship/Apprenticeship Guide is a new publication that has been developed by Skills Tasmania to provide information to employers, school-based trainees/apprentices, parents/guardians, registered training organisations and schools. The guide outlines the requirements and responsibilities of the parties under a school-based training contract. For more information, go to:
http://www.skills.tas.gov.au/apprenticeshipstraineeships/schoolbased
New Enrolment and Training Account Guideline – South Australia
This Guideline has been published to assist Skills for All Training Providers with enrolment, the creation of training accounts and their management. The guideline relates to the obligations of Training Providers with respect to enrolling eligible students; dealing with exceptions to eligibility and creating, monitoring and managing training accounts. It also explains and outlines the data requirements for enrolment and training accounts. For more information, go to:
http://www.skills.sa.gov.au/news/entryid/88/new-enrolment-and-training-account-guideline-released
Changes to the regulation of Victorian apprenticeships and traineeships
The VRQA Board approved the market testing of an alternative model for the provision of apprenticeship and traineeship regulatory field services throughout Victoria. This occurred through a public tender process which has now been finalised. Busy Inc, trading as Busy at Work, has entered into a contract with the VRQA for the provision of apprenticeship and traineeship regulatory field services to commence on 2 September 2013. Busy at Work is now establishing offices across Victoria. They will be ensuring that their services are targeted to those apprentices and trainees most in need.
Australian apprenticeship & traineeship update
Click on the links below to view the qualifications that have recently been registered in each State and Territory.
http://aatinfo.com.au/getattachment/4a41fbc0-4f90-4c0c-ae12-bfdeca01ff6d/file.aspx
http://aatinfo.com.au/getattachment/594c8b26-88f2-4419-ab0c-813442c117c1/file.aspx
http://aatinfo.com.au/getattachment/355051af-c239-47a0-96c9-1a082e894f45/file.aspx
Further AQF workshops for VET and higher education providers
The AQF Council is offering a further round of workshops for VET providers and higher education providers during August and September 2013, to support implementation of the AQF. For details on how to register, click on the link below to go to the recent AQF newsletter.
http://www.aqf.edu.au/Portals/0/Newsletter%20August%202013.pdf
Recent VET publications
Hurdling the barriers: enabling student pathways from VET to higher education in building and construction management
Anthony Mills, Patricia McLaughlin, Jane Carnegie
The authors investigate the ‘enablers’ that support building and construction students moving from diplomas into construction management and related bachelor degrees. Consistent with other research, this study confirms that committed VET teachers and staff, opportunities for students to build confidence, and collaboration between VET and higher education providers enables the navigation of a successful pathway.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2633.html
Labour mobility and vocational education and training in Australia
Kostas Mavromaras, Stephane Mahuteau, Zhang Wei
Types of job mobility (changing industry sector, changing occupation, and changing sector and occupation) and the outcomes ensuing for those who have just completed a VET course in Australia over the years 2001 – 11 are examined in this report using NCVER Student Outcomes Survey data. The results show that occupational mobility that also preserves sector-specific knowledge is associated with the best labour market outcomes.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2625.html
Australian vocational education and training statistics: apprentices and trainees 2012 – annual
NCVER
This annual publication provides a summary of training activity in apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia, including information on training rates and duration of training.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2631.html
Performance indicators in the VET sector
Tom Karmel, Peter Fieger, Davinia Blomberg, Phil Loveder
This discussion paper was part of the National Summit on Data for Quality Improvement in VET held at the Park Royal Hotel, Melbourne Airport, on 9 April 2013. This paper sets out NCVER’s thinking on registered training organisation performance indicators including a discussion of the properties indicators should have and statistical and presentation issues.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2645.html
Seeking the N in LLN
Tina Berghella, John Molenaar
This study investigates the qualifications, experience, and numeracy skills of language, literacy and numeracy specialists and vocational specialists working in the process manufacturing industry. A degree of mismatch is found between the skill required to address numeracy needs in the process manufacturing industries and the current capacity of VET practitioners in terms of their understanding of numeracy requirements, their qualifications, skills and experience.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2627.html
Australian vocational education and training statistics: students and courses 2012
NCVER
This publication provides a snapshot of Australia’s publicly funded vocational education and training (VET) sector for 2012. It presents national information about students and participation, courses and qualifications, module/unit of competency enrolments, hours of delivery and full-year training equivalents.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/statistic/publications/2642.html
Assessment issues in VET: minimising the level of risk
Sian Halliday-Wynes, Josie Misko
This report explores some of the key issues associated with the assessment in VET and reflects on some possible solutions. The authors provide examples from three industry areas where concerns have been raised about the quality of provision and assessment and some conclusions are drawn on the issues raised; specifically Childcare and Aged Care Services and the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE).
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2620.html
Other News of Interest
New look IBSA website
IBSA have just launched its new website. There’s a new look store, training package hubs, project timeline pages and companion volumes available as web versions or download. Surf the site at the following link.
TAFE Queensland chief appointed
Jodi Schmidt has been appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of the newly created TAFE Queensland statutory body, which was created in legislation on 1 July as a parent body to drive the strategic direction for all TAFE delivery in Queensland. Read more at the following link.
http://www.tda.edu.au/cb_pages/files/TAFE%20Queensland%20CEO%20appointed.pdf
Pearson to wind down its VET publishing operations
Education publisher Pearson has announced that it will wind down its traditional publishing activities in the Australian vocational education and training market. Pearson attributed the decision in large part to the continuing flux in the VET system. Read more at the following link.
http://the-scan.com/2013/08/01/pearson-to-dump-vet-publishing/
Two views on Victorian TAFE reform
The first link is to the Executive Summary of the recent Per Capita report titled Training Days: Models of Vocational Training Provision: Lessons from the Victorian Experience. The second link is to an article concerning Peter Hall’s (Victorian Minister for Higher Education and Skills) response to the report.
http://www.percapita.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=622
http://the-scan.com/2013/07/31/tafes-delivering-on-quality-and-price-hall/
New Tertiary Education and Skills Ministry in Cabinet line-up
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s new frontbench team includes new ministers overseeing the education, skills and training agenda. Former Immigration Minister, Brendan O’Connor will become the new Minister for Employment, Skills and Training. Former Industrial Relations Minister, Bill Shorten will become Minister for School Education, also with responsibility for driving productivity. Senator Kim Carr returns to the front bench as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Higher Education. Read the Prime Minister’s media release at the link below.
http://www.pm.gov.au/press-office/changes-ministry
New Managing Director for NCVER
With Dr Tom Karmel retiring on 16 August, Mr Rod Camm has been announced as the new Managing Director of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). Mr Camm was most recently CEO of Skills Queensland. Previously, he was Associate Director-General of the Queensland Department of Education and Training, and CEO of Construction Skills Queensland. Read the NCVER media release at the link below.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/newsevents/mediareleases/mr_168.html
The news articles presented in this edition of VET News have been researched and prepared by Anne Maree Newbery.
Copyright © 2013 Newbery Consulting All rights reserved.